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Many Sacramento, Calif., restaurants are tapping into their local resources and collaborating with the area's numerous boutique farmers to bring fresh, local meat, fish and produce to the table.
"People think of Sacramento as home of dysfunctional state government," said restaurateur Randall Selland. "But the diversity of crops and the quality of crops in our area -- within 50 miles of downtown Sacramento -- far exceeds anywhere else."

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Sacramento International Airport is touting plans for a $5 million remodeling effort that will transform 30,000 square feet of Terminal A. Plans for the "extreme makeover" include several new unique restaurants, and comfortable chairs and couches for passenger waiting areas.

While NCA research reveals that milk chocolate is still the most popular variety, 29% of Americans over the age of 45 and 15% of those age 18 to 44 prefer dark chocolate, a trend that NCA spokeswoman Susan Smith said is definitely heading upward. Consumers are buying more dark chocolate at supermarkets, farmers markets and even quick-service restaurants, which is due in large part to recent awareness about its health benefits, which include fighting bad cholesterol and lowering blood pressure.

McDonald's has launched a new mobile application in Australia that lets users scan QR codes on food packaging to track their meals from the restaurant where they were purchased all the way back to the farmers who provided the ingredients. It's the chain's latest international effort to increase the transparency of its food sourcing.

At his Shop, Chop and Dine demonstration in Milford, Mich., chef Brian Polcyn helped students pick out produce at the Milford Farmers Market then showed them how to prepare the fresh ingredients in the kitchen of his Cinco Lagos restaurant. Polcyn highlighted the importance of using seasonal ingredients to get the best flavor while at the same time supporting local farmers.

An NPR-Thomson Reuters Health Poll of more than 3,000 U.S. adults showed that 58% said they would rather eat organic food. Among those who said they prefer nonorganic food, 54% said it was because of cost. The poll found that 36% said they favor organic food as a way to help local farmers, and 34% said it's because they are concerned about toxins in the regular food supply.